26 Answers

Brilliance is genetic, if your parents aren’t scholarly, forget it. School throws every possible mental acrobatic trick at you, see what subjects you’re good at & master them. A jack of all trades generally does shoddy work, so don’t shoot for straight A’s. It’s a superficial achievement.

I had around a 3.75 GPA in high school before I dropped out. I just did my homework on the bus (two+ hours everyday) and during lunch. High School was easy. Most of the grades were based off homework.

College was a bit different. That was more midterms and finals and papers. I sucked at writing papers but kicked ass on tests. I did relatively well thanks to the fine folks at the writing center on campus.

I got all A’s through most of my school, until a few B’s in highschool. The way to accomplish it is to read and understand all the assignments, and ask questions for the parts you don’t understand. I read everything I could get my hands on, ever since I was a small child, and I loved reading.

Be sure to do any extra credit work that is available to you, and always follow the directions of the instructor.

My daughter had a 3.9 gpa in high school, a 3.9 in college, and a 4.0 in grad school. The secret is to do your assignments on time, ask for help/get a tutor when you don’t understand something, speak up in class, and start studying for tests from day one.

I did it in grad school by doing all my assignments, studying for tests and completing my thesis when it was due. It did not party much.
I was not in school to party. I was there to get a degree in a useful subject area so I could get a good job. Looking back now, I can clearly see I made the right choice. (Thanks Mom!)

Don’t procrastinate (too much). I’m a college student, and I start my homework early in the evening, so I’m not sleep-deprived and can perform well in my classes—most of which at this level grade on 50% discussion, 50% final paper. So both aspects, of getting going early and giving it your all, and participating in class, are extremely important. I also do every assignment and try and do my best job, no matter my feelings on it; a lot of my friends have done badly because they completed assignments based on how worthwhile they felt them to be.

But I still take every Friday and Saturday evenings off for geeky recreation, I dance, and play lots of music—so this is compatible with a fun college experience. I wouldn’t say I make lots of sacrifices for it; I just stay on top of stuff.

There isn’t any magic to it, all the answers have been covered. It takes work. You must be focused and you must participate in class. Ask questions, answer questions. Do your homework and study. Read! Do not procrastinate, some may be able to do that; however, that is not the norm!

If you want straight A’s, then you must commit to the work it takes to get straight A’s.

Not everyone can GET straight A’s. And it’s no shame. You certainly have to like to read and study more then almost anything else and not everyone does. You DO have to sacrifice the parties and such and not everyone even WANTS to do that.

You do not need to give up your social life to get straight A’s. I know people at UC Berkeley (actually an entire fraternity) that will party HARD one evening and the next day lock themselves in their rooms and just study.

It really comes down to how well you can balance your priorities. Of course, never ever mix social + school. Time management and organization is key.

Most grading periods in high school, I had all A’s. I wish I could say I did something special to earn them, but honestly I think I just have a good short-term memory. I always did the assigned homework, had a knack for writing good papers, and didn’t have to study that hard to ace most tests. My dad paid me $50 for each straight-A report card, which didn’t hurt my motivation.

College was harder, especially my freshman year, since very few of my classes could be passed with the same effort I’d put into high school. Once or twice I managed all A’s, but in classes like chemistry, genetics, and calculus, I often barely managed a B (I think I got a C once…heaven forbid). I spent a lot of time in the library, turned things in when I was supposed to, and joined study groups for the subjects I needed most help with. I was also in a sorority and had more than my share of fun outside of class. What I wouldn’t give to relive 25 cent beer night just once!

I had all A’s for every semester grade in every class from 6th grade to 12th grade. 4.0 unweighted, 4.5 weighted. (I don’t remember anything from before 6th grade). How did I do it? Well, for one thing, I did every assignment. You cannot not do assignments. My friend David got A’s in almost everything and he was the biggest procrastinator. He may have put things off until the last minute, but he still did it and he was very smart and tested well and wrote good essays. Get rid of distractions, set times for doing the work, just make sure that it gets done and you understand it (if it’s necessary. Some people don’t need homework to do well, but others do).

You have to make sure you understand all the material. Don’t just give up because something looks hard. Ask for help and try to understand it. I had a friend who had a tendency to give up when the material became too hard (in math mostly) and he ended up with a C in that class first semester. If you’re struggling, get tutored or something (it can even be by a friend—I tutored one of my best friends in SATs and his score increased by 300 points).

You do not have to give up your social life. I for one party hardied in junior and senior year and I still managed to get straight A’s. I knew several other people who did the same. It’s not necessary; I even played a sport for all 4 years of high school and hung out with friends fairly often and managed to get straight A’s.

Basically: try. If you try, you can do it for the most part. You may not get all A’s, but you can do pretty well if you study hard, do the work, and make sure you understand all the material. Most of the people I know who complain about bad grades are lazy and never do any of the work or put effort into the class.

Go to class. Take notes. Read the notes. Read the book or materials required for the class. Do the assignments as assigned. Turn them in on time. Study for tests. Go to the tests. do the Extra Credit if offered just to make sure you get the A. Participate in class. Listen. Try. Focus. Try some more.

I only had all A’s in Grade one… I can remember that I loved the material being taught so much that the information I was learning was a blessing and not a chore and I studied for fun and I did study on my spare time… then my father gained custody of me and I started to rebel out because he thought that school was a punishment and he spread that belief to me… I took me years before I even did another assignment…I skipped school to watch t.v. and play video games, and I became a class clown… I made it to university only because I realized that I didn’t want to wash dishes for the rest of my life and that the television show i was watching just happened to be educational (like PBS’ nova and star trek) I forgot how to study what was given to me as an assignment and I flunked out of university because I was spending my time playing counter-strike and half-life as well as watching T.V. until 4 am in the morning…. and missing meals… I got sick and because a burden to the community….I try to learn every subject from needle
point to astronomy… and I have no direction in life other than my whim…but at least I have my love of learning coming back and I really want to read up on every subject I can find…I want to open a bookstore but without a degree or a love for work It’s going to be hard saving the money…but I trust that my future is better for my experiences…